How a Hollywood-Made "Korean Film" Became a Global Franchise

Still of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ (provided by Netflix)

On March 13, 2026, Netflix officially announced a sequel to its animated film KPop Demon Hunters, targeting a 2029 release. Original directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans are both set to return for the follow-up. Built on the unprecedented achievements of being Netflix's most-watched film of all time and a double Oscar winner (Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song), the Korean cultural narrative at the heart of KPop Demon Hunters has secured its place not as a one-time hit, but as a core asset of a global franchise.

The numbers alone tell a striking story. Over six months in the second half of 2025, the film logged 482 million views, making it Netflix's most-watched title ever. Its theme song "Golden" spent eight consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, then swept the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media and the Oscar for Best Original Song — the first K-pop track to achieve either distinction.

Korean-Canadian director Maggie Kang was born in Seoul and moved to Toronto at the age of five. As a diasporic creator, she wove together Korean shamanistic gut rituals, the mythology of the grim reaper (Jeoseungsaja), and K-pop idol culture to bring KPop Demon Hunters to life. The production team conducted on-location research across South Korea, incorporating details ranging from the roof tile patterns of Bukchon Hanok Village to the everyday habit of placing a napkin beneath chopsticks and spoons at restaurant tables.

Alongside the sequel announcement, Netflix has laid out an ambitious franchise expansion roadmap. Director Kang remarked, "This is just the beginning," hinting at further extensions of the story's universe. The franchise is reportedly in active development across merchandise, a Fortnite collaboration, and a graphic novel series.

Professor Jennifer M. Kang of Queensland University of Technology (QUT) analyzed the success of KPop Demon Hunters as "the process by which a specific nation's culture becomes detached from its origins and transforms into a global cultural resource" — a reading that underscores how Korean culture's value as a global brand has grown powerful enough to move Hollywood itself.

That dynamic also defines the challenge ahead for the sequel. In an interview about the making of the original film, Director Maggie Kang noted that she "didn't want to start with a negative angle, because this is the first film dealing with Korean culture." Where the first film used K-pop's dazzling surface to lower the barrier of entry for global audiences, the sequel will need to build on that accessibility by adding greater narrative depth.

The broader trajectory raises questions for the Korean film industry as well. As "Korean stories" continue to reach global audiences, the industry faces its own reckoning — how to cultivate creative talent and how to build a sustainable ecosystem for Korean IP on the world stage.

Sources

• Natalie, "Sequel to KPop Girls! Demon Hunters Officially Confirmed, Announced by Netflix", 2026.03.13

• Philstar, "Netflix confirms 'KPop Demon Hunters' sequel", 2026.03.13

• Premiere, "KPop Demon Hunters 2: The Sequel Finally Made Official, Just Before the Oscars", 2026.03.13